


Stomachache

by ClockworkAngel



Category: Saddle Club - Bonnie Bryant
Genre: Pine Hollow, Saddle Club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 13:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkAngel/pseuds/ClockworkAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red is pushing everybody away and Max wants to find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stomachache

Red groaned in frustration, rubbing his aching stomach. He honestly didn’t know what was wrong, his stomach had been bothering him for a couple days, but he was really busy with Pine Hollow and the band, just everything. He picked up Comanche’s saddle from the fence rail and carried it into the tack room, placing it on the saddle stand. 

“Red!” Max called, striding into the tack room.

“Yeah, Max?” Red responded, not bothering to mask the irritation in his voice.

“Delilah needs exercise and I need to go to Willow Creek” Max came in, the tension in his face relaxing into worry.

“Red, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing” Red snapped, trying not to think of his aching stomach.

Max lifted his eyebrows, “fine. Just when you get a chance, exercise Delilah.”

“Max. Uh, I was meaning to talk to you about a, uh, couple of days, uh, off.”

“I’m not sure, Red, now’s not the best time.”

“Yeah, I know. But d’you think I could have the rest of today off?” red asked, his hand instinctively going to clutch at his lower torso.

“Red! I just asked you to do something and now you’re asking for a day off?!” Max snapped exasperatedly.

“Never mind. It’s not a problem,” Red said, turning away and clenching his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was yell at his boss. Max spun on his heel, stalking off and fuming at Red. He knew Red was really busy, but that was seriously no reason for him to ask for a day off when Red knew that Max was busy. Max was still thinking about this and the fact that Red seemed irritable these past few days as he drove into Willow Creek.

Red sighed, leaning against Delilah’s side. His stomach really, really hurt. He pushed the saddle up on Delilah’s back, stifling a groan as Delilah shifted and he realized the saddle was crooked.

He grabbed a helmet at of one of the tack bins and led Delilah out into one of the rings. Red mounted up and nudged Delilah towards one of the trails. He pushed Delilah into a canter, ignoring the ever-increasing pain in his stomach that was now spreading to his side. 

Max pulled up at the stables, to find a worried Carole waiting for him. 

“Carole. What’s wrong?” Max asked, his forehead creasing in worry.

“Max. Where’s Red? I wanted him to look at something on Starlight.”

“Oh! Red’s just exercising Delilah” Max instantly relaxed in relief.

“I know, but where?” Carole asked.

“One of the rings…I think, but maybe he took her out on one of the trails.”

“Are you sure, Max? He’s been gone for three hours” Carole responded, still worried.

“Maybe he just took her out for awhile. Relax, Carole. He’s eighteen, he’s perfectly old enough to look after himself” Max smiled.

“Ok…if you say so. But can you take a look at Starlight?” asked Carole.

Meanwhile…

Red had slowed Delilah to a walk a while ago. He looked at his watch. ‘Shit, I should probably get back…Max is gonna be so pissed’…he thought, suddenly feeling nauseous. Red turned Delilah in the direction of Pine Hollow, nudging her into a trot and almost immediately pulling her back into a walk.

“Steady girl. Whoa, easy” Red murmured, rubbing Delilah’s neck. He slid off her back, landing with a thump on his knees. Before he could choke it back, Red retched, the nausea getting even worse. He curled up on his side, one arm clutching his stomach. ‘Damn it, I forgot my phone.’ He looked up as Delilah whinnied and reared. 

“No, wait a minute. Whoa girl, shhh…” Red moaned as another wave of nausea washed over him. He heard Delilah’s hoof-beats grow fainter as she galloped away.

“MAX! MAX!” there was a frenzied sound of combined hoof-beats and Stevie’s yelling. Max sprinted out of his office, running down the stairs and out of the barn, freezing when he saw Delilah.

“Max. Where’s Red?” asked Carole and Lisa, coming up behind Stevie and stroking Delilah, trying to calm her down.

“I don’t know” Max said.

“Stevie, where’s Comanche? I’m going to find Red.”

“I-I think Comanche’s in his stall-“

“Thanks. Girls, please untack her” Max thrust Delilah’s rains at a startled Carole and running into the barn. A minute later, he came out, galloping Comanche bareback.

“Let’s go!” said Stevie, after untacking Delilah.

“What, Stevie?”

“Where?”

“After Max. He may need our help.”

“No way Stevie!”

“But what if Red’s really hurt?” asked Lisa.

“See Lisa understands” beamed Stevie as she started to tack up Belle.

“No I don’t. I’m just saying…”

“Alright fine, but don’t blame me if Max gets mad!” called Carole, already pulling Starlight’s saddle off the rail outside of his stall.

“Ok, so where did they go?” asked Lisa, pulling Prancer up.

“I’m not sure…wait!” Carole cried, kicking Starlight into a canter. Lisa and Stevie followed her, while yelling “Max! Max!”

Max was kneeling down next to a barely conscious Red. He turned, startled, when he saw the three girls riding towards them.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We thought-“

“What happened?”

“Red looks awful!”

“Yeah I know. You girls need to ride back and wait for the ambulance. I already called one.”

“Do you want one of us to stay here?”

“No, it’s fine. Go back, all of you.”

“It’s no problem, Max. I’ll stay. Stevie and Lisa can go back” Carole slid off Starlight and knelt next to Red and Max.

“Max, I really don’t feel well and I-I-I’m really cold” Red moaned, fuzzily looking up at Max. 

“Yeah, you’re gonna be fine” Max said softly, shrugging out of his jacket and wrapping it around Red. 

“Max! Max! the ambulance crew can’t get up here but they’re at Pine Hollow” Stevie came cantering up to them.

Max eased Red up onto Comanche, and swung up behind him, wrapping an arm around Red, keeping him upright in the saddle. Comanche seemed to know what Max wanted and started to walk slowly back to Pine Hollow.

Later….

Max paced the Emergency Room. He had been there for almost two hours since they brought Red in. Max hadn’t been allowed to ride in the ambulance with Red because the paramedics hadn’t known what was wrong with Red and if it was contagious or not. 

“Mr. Regnery?” a nurse came out as Max paused and looked up at the mention of his name.

“Yes? How is he?” 

“I’m sorry, sir. I cannot release any mention of Mr. O’Malley’s condition yet” the nurse smiled apologetically, and handed Max some paperwork, “but I do need you to fill out these forms.”

Max sat down, filling out the forms almost automatically. He was forced to realize that he honestly didn’t know anything about his head stablehand. ‘Closest living kin’ was left blank, so was ‘any previous medical history’ and ‘any known allergies’ was also left blank. The only part Max could fill out was how old Red was, and he was even guessing at that. He handed the papers back to the nurse who smiled, “thank you. The doctor should be out in a minute.”

“Mr. Regnery?” came another call.

Max stood up as the doctor came out.

“How is he? Is he awake? What happened?”

The doctor smiled tiredly, “Mr. O’Malley’s fine. He had a strong case of the flu, but he’s awake now and asking for you.”

Max followed the doctor, almost tripping him in his rush to see Red. The doctor held the door open, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Red was propped against two pillows, with various tubes, which Max supposed were pain meds and IV fluids.

“Hey,” Max sat down in the hard plastic chair next to Red’s bed.

“Hey Max.”

“Could you explain what was going on? Why did you push us away?” Max’s worry was morphing into anger.

“Look, I know I owe you an explan-“

“Yeah, damn right you owe me an explanation” Max snapped, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“I-I-I thought it was nothing.”

Max sighed, “are you coming back to Pine Hollow?”

Red pushed himself up, almost pulling out the IV.

“Max! Are you crazy?!” he yelped as Max pushed him back against the pillows.

“I just wanted to know” Max held his hands up defensively.

“Okay sir, I’m sorry. Visiting hours are up” the doctor said as he added something to Red’s IV.

Max stood up, “get better, Red.”

Red nodded sleepily as he drifted off. 

Max smiled as he left the hospital, he knew they still needed to smooth some things over, but Red would be fine and that’s all that mattered.


End file.
